Bird
White Crowned Sparrow
This white crowned sparrow was an unexpected surprise.
While taking photos of a sunrise at the marina in Algoma, Wisconsin, I noticed some movement on the ground. Each time I would change position, this little bird would flit along the ground…but never far.
Eventually, I turned the camera his way. He seemed cooperative, allowing me to move within 10 feet for shots like this.
Short Stuff
This cute rascal is a Ruby-throated hummingbird. A tiny, zippy bird that is one of my favorites…and most challenging to photograph. This particular one seems to be a short, stocky gal – but she wears it well, don’t you think?
I believe the hummingbirds that have entertained us this year have flown south for the winter. We haven’t seen one for a week or so.
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Fan Dancer
This was an American Goldfinch that I found by the marina in Algoma, Wisconsin. He was feasting on the thistles growing near the water’s edge; pulling out the white tufts and munching on the seeds. As you can see, thistle seeds are light and airy and tend to float with the breeze.
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Watchful Eye
Here’s a little touch of nature for you. I stopped to take some photos around the harbor at Algoma, Wisconsin. It wasn’t a foggy day elsewhere, but conditions were right to create a foggy area around the piers and lighthouse. I took a few photos (some I’ll be posting later) of the pier and a fisherman in the fog, and the lighthouse and boats.
As I finished and headed back to my vehicle, I noticed a few wildflowers growing near the water. I stopped to take a few random shots. Then I noticed a few bees – always a favorite photographic subject of mine – so I stopped to take a few photos of them. Then, as I started to leave again, I noticed a flash of yellow. An American Goldfinch landed in a nearby patch of thistles to enjoy a meal. It didn’t seem bothered by my presence, so I started taking photos. (Some I’ll post later.)
While concentrating on the Goldfinch, I happened to notice a bee in the foreground and refocused on the bee for awhile…as the bird continued to feast in the background.
The one thing I don’t like about this image (and others in the batch) is the background. I think it looks unnatural and fake. The background is simply the water of the harbor. I would have preferred something that had a little more color variation, instead of the flat blue, but I wasn’t able to change my position to create a different look. The thistles were only a foot or two from the water and I was shooting from a position higher than the bird.
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Aerial Ballet
Two female Ruby-throated hummingbirds perform a delicate dance by my window.
Well, actually…in the interest of full disclosure, they were both flying by my window – just as you see them here – but not at exactly the same time. I combined two different photos to make the scene more interesting. They only missed each other by a minute or two.
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Happy Hummer Confluence
I spent an hour or so photographing hummingbirds in my yard. This “confluence” is the combination of three separate images. These are female Ruby-throated hummingbirds.
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Pretty Boy
Stick your thumb up. Look at the size of it. This bird is no larger than your thumb…and weighs considerably less…and moves way faster.
This is a male Ruby-throated hummingbird; a favorite summer visitor at our house.
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Father Son Brunch
This is a father and son pair of Eastern Bluebirds. The son hatched this spring. The father seems to be eyeing the son’s table manners as he downs another mealworm.
We’ve been providing a small amount of mealworms for the bluebirds every morning. Every morning, I wake up the loud singing of male bluebird.
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Her Best Side
This little beauty – a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird – seemed to be posing for me. If you look closely, you can see the very tip of her tongue protruding from her beak. I think she was trying to be sassy without me noticing.
Whiskers
This American Robin was working frantically to fill her beak with grass. I thought it made a comical site. Obviously, somewhere there was a nest to be built.
According to Wikipedia, the American Robin “…is one of the earliest bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning to its summer range from its winter range. Its nest consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, and is smeared with mud and often cushioned with grass or other soft materials.”
Though one of the earliset to build its nests, this robin was gathering nesting material at the end of June. Maybe it was starting its second effort of the season.
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